THE MEG On The Water: Battling The Largest Shark In History Alongside Jason Statham
For those waiting for The Meg in the Theater, you can get your tickets here!
The Megalodon shark was the largest predator that ever lived. Meaning “big tooth”, this prehistoric monster reached over sixty feet in length, weighed over sixty tons, and its teeth ranged from four to seven inches. With a predator this large, it’s only fitting that Alamo Drafthouse host an epic Rolling Roadshow event to screen Jon Turteltaub’s upcoming deep-sea thriller The Meg on the deceptively tranquil waters of Lake Travis in Austin, Texas. Fortunately, I was lucky (and brave) enough to attend.
The Meg on the Water took place at Volente Beach Water Park, familiar to those who have recently read about or experienced Jaws on the Water. The feature film didn’t start until sundown, so guests had plenty of time to explore the park while they wait. Volente offers several different badass activities including multiple water slides and rides, a sand volleyball court, and cornhole (or “bean bag toss” depending on what part of Texas you’re from).
There was a quaint bar that overlooks the park along with a taco truck and a separate BBQ truck situated on the beach for whatever kind of meal you want to sink your teeth into before the show. There were also plenty of bars scattered across the park to purchase as much liquid courage as your heart desired. If you wanted to be more of a landshark, you could dig your toes into the sand on the beach and watch the sun go down, chill at a picnic table in the shade, snap a picture in front of the shark made entirely out of sand, or visit the shark bite stand to get some gaping wounds painted on your body before heading down to the water to claim your cinematic territory.
As with all Alamo film screenings, the pre-movie programming was fantastic. Footage of old movie trailers featuring Evil in the Deep and Shark Attack 3: Megalodon were my personal favorites. A segment on the best shark fights in cinematic history reminded audiences to be brave in the water. Lucio Fulci’s Zombi 2 served as inspiration that even zombies can tackle these aquatic beasts. You also don’t have to be Adam West in Batman to feel safe in the water either. There was plenty of Jawsploitation footage filled with fun facts from the Jaws franchise, and LL Cool J’s “Deepest Blue” music video from the movie Deep Blue Sea blared beachside while hosts dressed as sharks danced to this rather amazing ‘90s nostalgia that I forgot even existed.
After a friendly introduction to the film and heads up that divers would not be in the water tugging at your feet this time (primarily for safety purposes as this is a film that was being shown for the first time and may scare some a little too much), the inflatable Rolling Roadshow screen lit up and the adventure began. While I was enjoying unrealistic rescue scenes by Jason Statham, comical one-liners from Rainn Wilson, and silly CG death sequences, the courteous staff would bring me beers in the water by just a friendly wave of my purple glow stick in exchange for drink bands. There were no fireworks at the end of the show, but that didn’t take away from the extravagant experience. Bobbing up and down in the water laughing, shrieking, and cheering, The Meg on the Water was a blast and the best way to watch this film hands down. Deepest thanks to the Alamo Drafthouse, Warner Bros. Pictures, FandangoNOW, the folks at Volente Beach Water Park, and everyone who worked to make this rad event possible. Whenever there is another Rolling Roadshow event on the water, I will gladly volunteer to be shark bait and I can’t suggest enough that others follow suit.
This article is part of B.M.D. Guide To: SHARKS!!!
